John Hill McAlister III

Owner, Engineer, Residential and Commercial Contractor

Growing up in a family of contractors and wood workers, I was always around a diverse group of projects at all times. I began my career in construction at a young age on my fathers construction sites. I remember playing in the sand piles at a young age. It was not long before I was working for my father as general labor during the summers. My grandfather was a craftsman, whether it was building boats from scratch or a new piece of furniture, you could always find him in his woodworking shop. He was always giving me new tools and teaching me woodworking skills that I use to this day.

When it was time to select a major in college, I knew I wanted to do something in the design and construction marketplace. My father encouraged me to study civil engineering. I obtained my bachelors in Civil Engineering from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in 2014 and shortly after began my path of becoming a licensed engineer working for a large engineering firm in Nashville, TN.

I started at the bottom of the firm in a staff engineering role. My first year I went from a technician, to laboratory manager, to a project manager in the construction materials testing department. I moved up the ranks to be second in command of the construction department as we doubled the revenue and labor force. We were managing over 20 employees in a booming Nashville construction scene, but I knew I was ready to move to the next level. 

I was granted a role as a project manager in the geotechnical engineering department at the engineering firm. There, I grew my engineering repertoire and learned valuable skills such as geotechnical consulting, foundation design, slope stability, and many other engineering skills. I achieved my goal of engineering licensure in 2019 and currently hold engineering licenses in Tennessee and Kentucky. My experience as an engineer ranged in projects from small restaurants, commercial office buildings, warehouses, bridges, roads, airports, data centers, fuel terminals and everything in between. Construction valuations on these projects ranged from $500,000 to over $300 million dollars. Many of my clients were repeat customers trusting me with their projects.

After six years with the firm, I decided that my passion was to start my own construction company. Many factors played into this decision, but I contribute the spark that started the fire to the house my wife and I bought in 2017. It was your pretty typical ranch home from the 1960’s, but it needed a lot of love. It was pretty much in its original 1960’s state when I bought it. Room by room in my spare time, I renovated it to be the place we call home. It is truly a transformation, and what allowed me to see the skills my father taught me, and the potential of what I could bring to other people.

From there, I decided that I would follow my father’s footsteps, and become a general contractor. I received my residential and small commercial contractors license in 2021 and embarked on the entrepreneurial journey of starting my own company. I started Third Hill Construction with the mindset of wanting to serve clients with their dream projects. Being an Engineer allows me to analyze and evaluate construction projects in a way that your average builder cannot. We take the time to cater to your wants and needs in a project, educate through the processes, and analyze the fine details on what it takes to build something with high quality that will last. Third Hill Construction provides a service that turns your project into the space that you will love.